Ostlund & Kaurismäki For European Film Awards

At the Seville European Film Festival on Saturday, the European Film Academy announced the nominations for the 30th European Film Awards which will see Ruben Östlund and Aki Kaurismäki go head to head for Best Film and Best Director.

Ruben Östlund’s social satire The Square, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and is Sweden’s Oscar contender, has five nominations: Best Film, Best Comedy, Best Director, Best Screenwriter, and Best Actor. It follows the curator of a modern art museum who is mugged, and and whose hunt for the perpetrator make him question his own moral compass.

Meanwhile, Aki Kaurismäki’s melodrama The Other Side Of Hope (Toivon tuolla puolen), about a Syrian refugee whose application for asylum is denied but who finds Utopia at a restaurant with the waitress, the chef and his dog, is nominated for Best Film and Best Director.

Over 3,000 EFA members will vote for the winners, which will be announced during a gala presentation on Saturday 9th December in Berlin. Here are the nominees in full:

EUROPEAN FILM
BPM, dir: Robin Campillo
Loveless, dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev
On Body And Soul, dir: Ildikó Enyedi
The Other Side Of Hope, dir: Aki Kaurismaki
The Square, dir: Ruben Ostlund

EUROPEAN COMEDY
King Of The Belgians, dir: Jessica Woodworth, Peter Brosens
The Square, dir: Ruben Ostlund
Vincent & The End Of The World, dir: Christophe van Rompaey
Welcome To Germany, dir: Simon Verhoeven

EUROPEAN DIRECTOR
Ildikó Enyedi, On Body And Soul
Aki Kaurismäki, The Other Side Of Hope
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer
Ruben Östlund, The Square
Andrey Zvyagintsev, Loveless